


The Tail

by PlanetClare



Category: Black Widow (Comics), Bucky Barnes - Fandom, Captain America (Comics), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Winter Soldier (Comics), winterwidow - Fandom
Genre: Anxiety, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Conflict, Emotions, F/M, POV Bucky Barnes, Protective Bucky Barnes, Spies & Secret Agents, Trust Issues, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 12:20:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14105250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlanetClare/pseuds/PlanetClare
Summary: Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, tails an operative who acts as the go between for an inventor and an investor.





	The Tail

Late one afternoon, Bucky sat on a bus bench watching a petite blonde as she took a seat next to the window in a diner across the street. Through his aviator sunglasses, he could see that she looked calm and relaxed.

Wearing a brown jacket, black blouse and black pants, the blonde woman glanced out the window as she waited for a waitress to bring her a cup of coffee.

Dressed in layers, Bucky felt somewhat warm but knew that the extra clothes were necessary to tail the operative. Pretending to read a newspaper, he leaned back against the bench and adjusted his blue baseball cap atop his short grey wig and pressed his fake mustache to ensure that the glue was still holding.

The blue and white plaid shirt, denim jacket, and baggy jeans had the desired effect as Bucky looked more like the elderly man he was in actual calendar years than he did in physical years.

The operative sat sipping her coffee as she faced the door, so she was able to see her contact approaching almost as soon as Bucky did. He was a middle-aged man of average height and weight who looked somewhat nervous as he entered the diner and looked around before sitting across from the blonde.

The two spoke for a moment before the waitress approached the table and asked the man if he would like to order something. When the waitress walked away, the man leaned forward as he spoke to the operative.

Bucky could not see what was happening on the tabletop, but the contact placed an envelope onto it which the operative quickly covered with a napkin. The operative cautiously looked around the diner and then looked out the window. That is when she noticed Bucky.

The operative stared at Bucky for a few moments and although she could not see his eyes, she had the feeling that he was staring back at her.

To make himself appear less obvious, Bucky folded the newspaper and tucked it under his right armpit. He stood when he saw a bus approaching and appeared ready to board it. It pulled up and stopped in front of the bench and blocked the operative’s view of him. When the bus pulled away from its stop, she thought that the grey haired man had boarded it, but he had not. Instead, Bucky had turned, walked into the alley next to an upholstery shop, and stepped behind its dumpster.

Acting quickly, Bucky removed his top layer of clothing and was now clad in a grey sweatshirt and sweatpants. Slipping the baseball cap and wig from his head, he turned the cap inside out to expose its white interior. He tucked his long hair into the cap and pulled it low on his brow. Picking up the wig and clothing, he tossed them into the dumpster, peeled off the fake mustache, and tucked it into the pocket of his sweatpants.

Bucky stepped out of the alley when he was certain that the operative was not looking. Casually strolling to the pet shop next door, he pretended to watch the playful puppies in the front window. Instead, he kept an eye on the operative and her contact by their reflection in the window.

After a few moments, the contact rose from the table and exited the diner. Looking left and right, he buttoned his shabby brown suitcoat and walked briskly toward the end of the block. When he reached the corner, a black sedan pulled up next to him. Two men in dark clothing jumped out, grabbed the man, and shoved him into the back seat. From her table inside the diner, the operative did not see this, but Bucky did.

‘She’s in over her head,’ he thought.

He pulled out his cell phone and quickly began to type a text message.

          **SoldierBoy:** Inventor Eric Long abducted at Kelly’s diner. L plate 7ENM251

          **BrooklynBoy:** Roger that.

He knew that his best friend Steve Rogers would pass on the information to the police and assist in the manhunt if needed.

Looking once again at the reflection in the window, Bucky could see that the operative was now on her cell phone. She looked out the window and then at her watch. When the waitress brought the check, the operative handed her cash, stood, and exited the diner. She looked around to make sure that no one was watching before she tossed the cell phone into a trash can near the entrance. Approaching a silver sedan, the operative climbed in and started the engine.

Returning to the alley, Bucky straddled an unregistered motorcycle which he had hidden there and followed the operative’s car at a safe distance.

After a crosstown journey, the operative finally stopped her car in front of a newsstand and got out of it. Bucky parked the motorcycle half of a block away and watched her enter a bar called Havoc which was known in the underground for entertaining some of the shadiest characters in town.

Being that it was not quite evening, Havoc was not crowded. The operative looked around and upon seeing two men seated at a booth in the corner, she approached them and sat down. One man wore a suit and looked like a businessman while the other appeared to be his bodyguard.

On the other side of the bar, Bucky sat down and ordered a beer as he kept an eye on the three. He was not close enough to hear what they were saying, but he did his best to read their lips.

At one point, the man in the suit laughed while the blonde operative glared at him. The bodyguard pulled out his cell phone, keyed in something, and showed it to the operative. She then handed something to him under the table and when she tried to stand, he grabbed her arm and jerked her back down. The businessman spoke to the operative once again, and then Bucky saw the bodyguard put a gun against her right ribcage.

As the operative listened carefully to the businessman, the bodyguard suddenly grabbed his neck. When his forehead slammed against the table, the operative saw a tranquilizer dart below the man’s left ear. Assuming the tranq was meant for her, she saw this as her chance to escape. She bolted for the door as the businessman fumbled to get his hands on the bodyguard’s gun. By the time he made it outside and onto the sidewalk, both the operative and Bucky were gone.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Bucky removed from his pocket the pistol that he modified to shoot tranquilizers. After placing it in a metal box under his side of Natasha’s bed, he locked the box and made a mental note to keep tabs on the businessman for the next few weeks. He then changed into a light blue t-shirt and black sweatpants and went to the living room.

“Hiya, pal! Did you miss me?” he asked his black cat, Sébastien. He picked up the cat, sat on the sofa, and turned on the TV.

A few minutes later, he heard Natasha’s key in the door.

“Hey, babe!” he called as she entered her apartment.

“Oh, hey! How’s it going?” she asked as she placed her keys on a table near the door and hung her brown jacket on a hook.

“Good,” he replied as he cradled the cat in his left arm and scratched its tummy.

“What did you boys get up to today?” she asked sitting down on the sofa’s armrest.

“Not much. I went to a pet store to get a tag for this guy, but I didn’t find anything I liked. How about you?”

“Oh, just Avengers’ stuff,” she replied. “You hungry?” she asked.

“Uh...yeah. I guess I could eat.”

“Okay. I’m gonna change my clothes and then we can throw something together,” she advised.

The redhead stood, leaned down to kiss Bucky, and turned to leave. As she passed her jacket, she pulled the blonde wig from its pocket and took it with her.

Bucky did not like it when Natasha sidelined on risky jobs, but he realized that it was her decision.

Looking down at Sébastien, he whispered, “Your mom always says she doesn’t need my help – that she can take care of herself, but I look out for her anyway. She just doesn’t know it.”

When Natasha returned wearing a white t-shirt and denim shorts, Bucky placed Sébastien on the carpet, joined her in her kitchen, and washed his hands at the sink.

From behind him, Natasha wrapper her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back.

“I’m glad we both had a quiet day,” she cooed.

“Me too, babe,” he agreed. “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> © 2018 Planet Press
> 
> The Marvel characters herein are the property of Marvel Comics which retains the rights. The characters of Eric Long and Sébastien the Cat were created by this author.


End file.
